Indo Pacific Business Summit: Session on “Women’s Economic Empowerment: Inclusive Prosperity”

When women are able to work, economies grow. Closing the gender gap in the workforce
could increase global GDP by 26%, or a staggering $28 trillion. Studies show if women’s
participation in the Indo-Pacific labour force reached full parity, the region would add nearly
$6.7 trillion. In India alone, the equitable employment of women in the formal sector could
yield an additional $700 billion in annual productivity. However, deep-rooted structural
inequalities have long prevented the full and equal participation of women in social,
economic, and political spheres. In addition to lower wages, motherhood penalties, and the
demand for unpaid care work for which women spend 300% more time than men, many
countries also have legal restrictions on the choices of employment for women and some
still have no legal protections for women from harassment in the workplace. A prosperous
Indo-Pacific can only be “free and open” when women’s rights and gender equality are
realized through inclusive economic empowerment. Hear from leaders of the women’s
empowerment movement whose work is helping to improve women’s access to education,
finance, technology, mentoring as well as leadership positions and equitable pay, which
are needed to enhance economic outcomes for the entire Indo Pacific.

Indo Pacific Business Summit: Session on “Women’s Economic Empowerment: Inclusive Prosperity”.